Tuesday Night Meatballs with Gluten Free Pasta

As much as I like to cook...sometimes you just need something easy, peasy that's quick and delish for dinner. Plus, I hurt my back like a week ago and last night was the first time I felt up to doing any cooking...it had to be low-key, comfort food sort of stuff.
I'd been craving meatballs for like a week and we had rice pasta and a jar of sauce in the pantry. So I grabbed a package of grass fed ground beef on my way home from work.
Thirty minutes later. Voila. Tuesday night's dinner on the table. 
I'm happy and husband is happy.

Why the gluten-free pasta? Well, not because I need to have it. 
I enjoy the whole bread/carbs/wheat flour thing...just not all the time. And the Tinkyada rice pasta is just damn tasty to me. It has good texture, not mushy.
I don't really use a recipe to make meatballs, so I'm putting this together for you to the best of my recollection, just in case you want it. They are best with homemade sauce, but that's for a night when I get started a little earlier. Some folks like to fry their meatballs in a skillet to brown them, not me. Save cleaning a pan, lose the added oil, and keep it simple. Peace.

Meatballs with Gluten Free Pasta

1/2 pound ground beef {I used dry-aged grass fed}
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 small onion, chopped
Parsley, chopped - about a handful
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
Panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Your favorite homemade or jarred pasta sauce
Pasta noodles {I used Tinkyada brand}
Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl till well-combined. Don't overmix or overwork the meat or it can get tough. Shape into the same size meatballs {I used an ice cream scoop} and place on lined sheet pan. Bake until cooked through, about 18-20 minutes or so.
While meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta in salted water, according to package directions.
Heat up sauce in a large saucepan and allow to simmer on low heat. When meatballs are done cooking in the oven, remove them and place into the sauce until ready to serve.
Serve pasta and meatballs with sauce and a sprinkle of grated parmesan.

P.S. Yes, I did get a back rub along with my meatballs. Jay's good like that. I'm a lucky girl.